Day 328: Drive from Whitefish to Missoula

Man. Today was not good. I didn’t go to sleep until 3:45issshhhh. My limbs ached, I was still so tired when I finally got my butt out of bed. I started to pack, showered and ate fresh, ripe, local Montana cherries. I was super slow moving.

But the shower helped. I checked out of the Kandahar and made my way down the Big Mountain for Highway 93. But first, I stopped in downtown Whitefish for a bite to eat at the Craggy Range Bar & Grill. I sat at the bar, watched the US men’s water polo team and ordered a bacon burger without the bun. It was damn good. I sucked down two iced teas, totally dehydrated. And then I was on my way.

It was a pretty drive, albeit the sky started off clear and blue and transformed into a dark, overcast sky. But I headed through Kalispel and made my way toward Flathead Lake, the largest fresh water lake in the western states.

It was amazing to me how fast people were driving. Montana was for a longtime the last state to not have a speed limit. Those days are long gone. The limit is now 75 on most highways. And the drivers were all passing me along the single-laned highway 93, going at least 85 mph.

I passed through Elmo, through Polson at the very bottom of the lake, and then down, away from the lake, toward Ronan. Rocky, craggy mountains were up ahead – beautiful, commanding, brilliant.

I finally made it to Missoula in the early evening and pulled into the Doubletree Hotel on the edge of the downtown.

I was spent. Exhausted. I checked in and hopped onto the large, inviting bed with a cush, downfeather comforter. I sank into the many pillows. I love lots of pillows. I turned on the television and on Turner Classics an Alfred Hitchcock movie just began – The Man Who Knew Too Much, with Doris Day (famous for her singing Que Sera, Sera in the film) and Jimmy Stewart. Only, I fell asleep half way through the movie.

When I woke up, I was too tired to go out to eat, so I ordered room service. It was very sunny out at 7:30 p.m. I ordered antipasti with hard salami, cherry peppers and goat cheese, then for my entree grilled shrimp with basmati rice with a mixed greens salad. I ordered sparkling water and hot tea. My stomach was really upset.

After eating, I realized I had ingested gluten. Probably a lot more than I was aware of – and my stomach had been upset for over 24 hours. After a few hours, past eating dinner, I got really sick. I mean, really sick. It was God-awful.

I then watched a special on PBS called Dreams of Tibet: A Troubled Country and Its Enduring Fascination. The part of the series I watched was a moving account of a woman who was born in Tibet, but her family fled to the US in the 60’s. She’s now living in L.A. and is involved in an awareness movement in her homeland. It was deeply moving.

After, I turned on the Olympics and went nuts watching the US men’s 4×100 freestyle relay pull ahead of favored (and trash talking) France. I couldn’t believe it! It was the most exciting Olympic moment I’ve seen in a long time!

I continued to sip on some comforting hot lemon-ginger tea, starting to slowly feel a little bit better. My gut was still swollen, as were my arms and legs. It would take a few days for the symptoms to ease. I would have to go through a really solid detox when I get home.